[Babypowder]

So...I'm about to start my eldar project log and have been trying to come up with a list based mostly around the stuff I already have. Which is really alot of guardians. I don't even have enough stuff to make a legal list as I have no storm guardians, no dire avengers, no rangers, and a million defender guardians but no heavy weapons platforms! So basically I have no troops unless I buy new stuff which I can't really afford or I do some guardian conversions!

So my first thought was...I'll do dire avengers! They're basically guardians with spartan helmets right...so I thought I'll just take all the no helmet heads and make dire avengers without helmets! Easy! Then I started thinking...

I wonder if I could just make jetbikes!? So I spent all day looking for something household or easy to get to look like the shape of a jetbike. And well...that's where the plastic spoon came into play! They are pretty similar in shape so I figured I could just carve em up and maybe green stuff a chassis and throw a guardian on it.

Then I found this awesome jetbike conversion that was probably one of the coolest models I have ever seen. I can't seem to find the picture now and literally couldn't find anything on this model(like who did it or how etc...) But anyway the conversion had the spoon shaped part going vertical instead of horizontal. This was just sooo cool to me I got to thinking about that and the spoon idea and then just started messing around and came up with something I kinda like...

So without too much more explaination(I'm sure most people have skipped it all by now anyway..) A plastic spoon, a normal guardian, 2 shuriken catapults, some brass rod, and some random sprue cutting and I came up with this!

This is essentially the prototype...I plan on making 8 guardians, 2 warlocks, and a farseer in this style. So hopefully it gets better as I go.

Any suggestions, crits, comments are more than welcome! Also would this be acceptable to play? Or would alot of people not like it?

Side Note... The story behind my eldar force is going to be a kind of outcast group from Ulthwe. I was gonna call the Bluthwe Raiders haha. Basically instead of black and bone I added in blue...and the story behind the different style jetbikes was going to be that they've taken the ones they had and repaired them the best way they could and during the process had to make them smaller.

 

[Tensiu]

This is...Weird. That's one of the weirdest conversions I've ever seen, man. And it's good. You're now my cheap-conversion-hero!

 

[trygonmaster123]

i like it its easy to reprodue as well

 

[chromedog]

It's like a STAP for eldar.

Kudos.

Well done. Looks cool.

As long as it's on the "correct" base and looks something like it's meant to, it's fine.

It's a one-man skimmer platform with twinked shuricats. Close enough for me.

 

[Dave T Hobbit]

Very cunning idea.

 

[dirty-dog-]

Its funny cause i was going to say that two, even got the two guns lol.

but i do really like the idea, maybe greenstuff some gems onto the front carapace, or even some kind of fins etc on it.

although it does need a propulsion system, maybe a single jet or something from the weapons platform? something simple but distinguishable.

 

[Babypowder]

Thanks for all the replies/suggestions!

@tensiu and trygonmaster123, thanks. My two main goals with it were to make it cheap and easy to reproduce!

@chromedog, I had a bunch of random flat bases from GW that are the same size as my falcon's flying base. Im not sure what size the actual jetbikes come with but I saw quite a few pictures of skimmer type armies that the bases for them looked about the same size as the bigger tanks bases...could be wrong though I guess. And I kinda had the same impression looking like a weapons platform. Maybe I should just convert a weapons platform instead of jetbikes.

@Dave T Hobbit, Thanks!

@dirty-dog-, I should probably try to distinguish it more as something that flies around. To be honest I already kind of planned on doing some gems, I was thinking about getting some beads from my niece for that though(didn't have any for this one at the time.) I had also planned on doing some fins of some type but just could not think of anyway to do it, so any suggestions are appreciated. A propulsion system would be nice also. Any suggestions on that one? Also...noob question, what is a STAP?

So hmmm... my main goal for the next one is to make it look a little more skimmerish and a less weapons platformy. Wings/fins and a propulsion system of some sort. And slap some random gems on it.

Oh hmm... might have an idea... Thanks for commenting!

 

[gwmaniac]

Impressive! I might have a go at making this little contraption, though maybe not for the eldar...

 

[KingOfCheese]

Very impressive!

I think it still needs a little bit more work though. It needs to look like something that better represents a jetbike.
At the moment, it looks a lot like an alternative HWP.
Maybe adding a bit more "bulk" to it so it doesnt look so thin, and giving it some sort of identifiable source of propulsion.

Its an excellent start though. Kudos.:biggrin:

 

[reasnd]

what all these good comments and no rep!

- Have some from me! +rep.

 

[Babypowder]

Thanks for all the comments/rep!

Nothing solid and no pictures yet but I'm working on a way to 'bulk it out' atm. As well as add some form of exhaust looking wing type eldar looking things...

So I'll keep everyone updated!

I also found the picture of the one guy's upwards jetbike. http://i377.photobucket.com/albums/oo214/luismarincioni/corsairjetbike3.jpg

If anybody knows who did this, or have any info at all please let me know! But ya I think that is the coolest jetbike ever...and is kinda the inspiration in the style I am looking to do. Though obviously using a spoon and sprue I'm probably not gonna get anywhere near as cool looking.

 

[piemaster]

I like this and +rep for you!

 

[Skartooth]

That is so awesome. I think I've seen that in a white dwarf somewhere before, Think the guy who did it was an aussie

Skar

 

[Babypowder]

Thanks again for the comments and rep. I'm glad people are actually liking the idea.

UPDATE!! First I'd like to say this is really the prototype. I'm not measuring anything really...everything is being kinda just...winged. Not much detail is being put in on purpose(saving those pieces for the real things.)

That being said...I made some wing thingies with super half assed panels etched/painted on. I also made a little exhaust pipe looking thing sticking out of the back from the little piece of sprue that holds the guardians legs on. I'll explain where I'm at in the project and what I'm doing next, after the pictures!!

My cat kinda flopped down next to me last night and it wasn't for like half an hour that I realized she was squishing the thing. So its even more bent/offcenter than it was now but hey..fat cat laying on it for half an hour and it held up pretty good! So I guess its fairly sturdy.

So, I kinda like the way it looks now and am actually happy with it. There are a couple things I'm going to differently in the next stage but the overall look of it I think is done.

I'm going to start a new one now as like...prototype 2.0 but if this one goes well I will probably go ahead and work it into the first finished one also. I'm going to actual measure everything out and make it more precise and stuff this time so I know exactly how to build them and everything fits together better. I'm also going to extend the little platform he stands on a little and add another peice of sprue under it so that if anybody notices there will actually be something leading to that little exhaust from the upright sprue peice which I'm going to claim houses the engine.

If the measurement process works out and the basic jetbike turns out ok, I'm going to cut more plexiglass and actually make the panels by double layering it so the cracks are more defined and real. I also have these little bead things to put on the wings and the shield to make it look more eldar-esque.

Another thing I'm going to try differently this time is the shape of the spoon shield will probably be slightly different and I'm going to not put those rivit looking things on the front if I can help it, so it'll be just a big smooth peice. I might however panel it up a little with some plexiglass.

So if you haven't figured it out by now, I made the wing thingies out of cutting plexiglass. Because I have a pretty big peice of it just sitting around doing nothing so I figured I'd use it! Of course...cutting plexiglass, especially such small pieces and with curves kinda sucks. I think I'm kinda getting the hang of it though using my little saw blade for my dremel and an old wood burner pen thing I found in my sisters room.

Well...I think that's all for now. I'm still pretty open for any suggestions but I am going ahead with it the way it is for now. I think I kinda covered most of them so far anyway. Except maybe the bulking it up..but I just couldn't think of much more ways to do that. Hopefully next time I'll have a decent looking version to show everyone!


EDIT: Forgot to say that if anybody wants to know how it was done when Im actually finished with everything I might try and write up an actual tutorial... I've never really done a tutorial for anything but might try anyway haha.

 

[Dave T Hobbit]

...maybe the bulking it up..but I just couldn't think of much more ways to do that. Hopefully next time I'll have a decent looking version to show everyone!

Looks good for just winging it.

I do not think it needs to be bulked up; if you leave it the size it is then you can make a bigger one for whatever the heavy jet-bikes are called without it having to be huge.

 

[Darkblade]

Maybe cut the wings strait, and add 2 missiles as powerdrive.
But it looks sweet.

 

[locustgate]

Reminds me of the droid hover things from star wars ep1

 

[Babypowder]

Thanks again for the comments/suggestions/rep everybody!

I think I've got it down to a little system now so I should be able to pump a few out at a time and make my squads. Here is the final design I think.

It's still pretty rough around the edges(literally...) but I'm pretty satisfied with it. It also looks pretty good next to my falcon. So...10 more to go!

I think I'll start just posting my progress in my eldar project log now. Since from here out it'll probably just be me posting squads of them and eventually my farseer/warlocks conversions.

If any of you make any cool stuff out of spoons feel free to post up some pics or links to your projects! I'd love to see what other people could do with this idea.

Until later, happy scratch building!

 

[dirty-dog-]

i really like the last design, specially the wings on the side and the more bent down look, definitly great, now that deserves rep

 

[Babypowder]

Thanks for commenting/repping!